Ruotolo Brothers (Kade and Tye): From BJJ to MMA

In the past few years, the Ruotolo Brothers have made a huge name for themselves. The twin duo, Kade and Tye, have beat high-level competitors across some of the top grappling promotions that the professional scene currently has to offer.

Last night, at ONE 167 (Tawanchai vs Nattawut II), Jiu Jitsu phenom Kade Ruotolo made his MMA debut against Blake Cooper at Lightweight. After months of hard training for his transition from Jiu Jitsu to MMA, Kade Ruotolo earned the victory via submission in Round 1!

In a Reddit AMA they held last year, we asked the Ruotolo brothers if they had any plans to compete in MMA. They said that they did and now everyone can see how serious they were.

Both Kade and Tye have made public their aspirations to be double champions. More specifically: two sport world champions. At such young ages, the Ruotolos have captured titles on the world stage of Jiu Jitsu and now have their sights fixed on mixed martial arts gold.

With their grappling backgrounds, they certainly have the ability to do so. Starting Jiu Jitsu at only 3 years old, both have earned their Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belts from André Galvão (Atos Jiu Jitsu), who is a decorated practitioner himself. He holds a 4th degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a black belt in Judo, and owns one of the most decorated competition profiles in grappling history (6x IBJJF World Champion, 6x ADCC champion). Safe to say, the brothers have been and continue to be in good hands under the IBJJF and ADCC Hall of Famer.

Their own competition accolades prove this. Some of their most notable achievements (as of June 2024) are as follows: 

Kade Ruotolo

- Youngest ADCC champion (77kg) at 19 years old - 2022

- ONE Championship lightweight submission grappling champion -  October 2022

- WNO Lightweight Champion - September 2021

Tye Ruotolo

- WNO 185 lb Champion - September 2021

- WNO Champion 170lb (became double WNO champion) - January 2022

- IBJJF Champion - 2022

- ONE Championship Welterweight submission grappling champion - November 2023

Needless to say, at only 21 years old, the future is bright for the two brothers, in both Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) and MMA. Competing in one of the largest martial arts promotions in the world, ONE Championship, the Ruotolos are on the hunt for glory. Tye aims to both make his own MMA debut and defend his grappling title in the near future, while Kade is preparing to defend his grappling championship status against one of the best Jiu Jitsu practitioners in Mikey Musumeci (3rd degree Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, 4x IBJJF Champion) this September at ONE 168.

Seeking to achieve double champion across two sports, accomplishing this major feat would place the Rutolos alongside elite company in their fellow ONE Championship two-sport world championship stars:

Jonathan “The General” Haggerty (Muay Thai, Kickboxing)

Sam-A Gaihanghadao (Muay Thai, Kickboxing)

Stamp Fairtex (Muay Thai, MMA)

UPDATE (06/21/2024):

The Ruotolo Brothers will be competing in the Craig Jones Invitational. CJI is a new grappling tournament making its debut this year, but looking to set a precedent for Jiu Jitsu competition moving forward, with every competitor on the even receiving $10,001 at minimum. They have a  chance to win $1,000,000 if they win the weight class tournament they have entered, which is -80kg. Much more on the CJI and how they  are competing with ADCC, in this article

The Ruotolo brothers' careers, aspirations, and vocal dedication to achieve their success with integrity (completely natural / PED FREE) make them a role model for any combat sports practitioner. As many fans and practitioners of BJJ and MMA are, we are excited to watch as they continue in their careers! 

Thank you for reading - we hope you found this article informative and learned something new about the Ruotolos!